BGiME #1: Goblin Ambush! Round Three

Evil seems to have the upper hand in this contest with the goblins trouncing Aragorn two to nothing. It was time for the winners of the preliminary rounds, Dave and Scott, to face off for the coveted and completely made-up title of Lord of the Miniature Things. Dave resumed his career of Evil, leaving Scott in the (if the past is any indication) unenviable position of playing Aragorn as the sole force of Good in the scenario. Would it be a complete rout by the forces of the Shadow?

Scott moves Aragorn up atop a hill as his initial move, a gambit that Dave responds to once again by committing all his goblin forces. It would require fancy maneuvering and some good Priority rolls for Aragorn to get through the mass of goblins.

The goblins already begin closing in. Aragorn spies an opening.

A lucky Priority roll and Aragorn is down the hill and moving diagonally across the field, hoping to loop around the hillock and standing stone in the center of the battle field and escape through the far corner.

Aragorn rushes across the battlefield thanks to a 6" movement rate and winning Priority. Goblins move to intercept.

The corner escape tactic was a good one, but Scott's luck turned after getting set up to make a run for safety. If I recall correctly, Dave scored a wound with his goblin archers by the boulder and Scott was blockaded by a quartet of goblins.

A lost melee battle pushes Aragorn back, forcing him further away from his goal of reaching the battlefield's corner.

Another lost Priority roll and Aragorn is surrounded. Now in a fight of 5 attack dice versus 3 dice, the outcome is inevitable. Aragorn perishes near a convenient standing stone to mark his death place.

It's pretty clear that the advantage I thought Aragorn had before playing this scenario wasn't a great as I imagined. In two out of the three playings of the skirmish, Aragorn got off to a strong start, but quickly became bogged down by the sheer number of goblins. Also, since this used an extremely simplified version of the SBG rules, things like Might and Fate points that allow a hero to accomplish exceptional deeds and shrug off wounds didn't come into play. I think had we been using all of Aragorn's potential, the battle would have had a much different outcome. We'll have to run it again later in the future and see what the results are with the full SBG rules.

End of Round Three
Winner and Champion: Dave (Goblins)

That's it for the coverage of Battle Games of Middle-Earth #1. I'll be delving into issue #2 real soon with a look at its contents, some painted minis of the Last Alliance, and a battle between Moria Goblins, High Elves, and the Men of Gondor. But first, some words about The One Ring campaign since I haven't delved into that ongoing endeavor yet.

BGiME #1: Goblin Ambush! Round Two

With Evil ahead by a win, it was time for Dave and Tom to play through “Goblin Ambush!” Dave was playing the side of Evil and Tom was Aragorn. Set-up was the same as the previous round. As the Forces of Good, Tom automatically wins Priority and it might have just been the last time he won Priority in the very short game that was to follow!

The board is set.

Goblins lurk on the verge as Tom slowly pushes Aragorn into action.

Tom sends Aragorn off to one side, perhaps intending not to replicate my tactical error. The Ranger begins the long run towards a safe getaway. Dave, however, decides to commit all of his goblins immediately, a tactic that will pay off well in very short order!

Aragorn creeps down the battlefield.

Goblins! Masses and masses of Goblins! Most are now within bow range.

As I recall, Dave had some success with his goblin archers, scoring a wound or two against Aragorn before he made too much progress towards the opposite edge of the board. The nearest group of goblins then charges the Ranger, keeping him from advancing further.

Aragorn is boxed in as more goblins scurry towards the battle

Already wounded, Aragorn is quickly dispatched by a small goblin mob. He has moved less than 12" from his starting position.

I think the fight lasted three turns at most. Some hot dice rolls from Dave put the hurt on Aragorn before the goblins even managed to get into melee range, and once charged and pinned down, the 4 dice to 3 dice Fight spelled the end for Aragorn. Once again, the fate of Middle-Earth is to fall under Shadow.

End of Round Two
Winner: Dave (Goblins)

On to the final round.

BGiME #1: Goblin Ambush! Round One

With twelve Moria Goblins freshly painted, it was time to put them to the test. I sent the call out amongst my The One Ring players, hoping one person would be interested in giving the SBG a test drive and play through the “Goblin Ambush!” scenario included in the inaugural issue of Battle Games of Middle-Earth. I lucked out with three of my regulars, Dave, Scott, and Tom, wanting to give it a shot. We gathered together on a weekend night to push the minis around.

Although issue #1 came with an insert of cardstock fold-out figures to be used in some of the scenarios— Aragorn in this case—I had the Mines of Moria plastic mini of the world’s most famous ranger and painted him up for the battle (we’ll look at him when we hit issue #6). I also had some terrain pieces I had constructed. Since we were playing the most basic of the SBG rules which ignores things like terrain movement penalties and line of sight, these were simply cosmetic additions to spruce up the battlefield. The battlefield in this case was a $4 green tablecloth I picked up from the local thrift shop, its dimensions marked off with masking tape.

We had four players in total and the "Goblin Ambush!" scenario assumes two players. To accommodate our larger player size, we ran it as a mini tournament with three rounds. Two players would face off, followed by the remaining two, with the two victors of each preliminary round playing to determine the champion.

Going into the scenario, I had high hopes for Aragorn triumphing despite the great discrepancy between forces: one Ranger versus twelve goblins. With the goblins divided into three groups and armed with orc bows that don’t have the reach of Aragorn’s elf bow, I assumed the Ranger and his three attacks every Fight phase would spell the goblins’ doom. All the Good side needed to do to win was get Aragorn off the battlefield on the Evil player’s edge, and the goblins move slower than old Longshanks. Things did not go as I expected!

Scott and I faced off first with me playing Aragorn and Scott as the goblins. I headed straight for the high ground near the center of the battlefield, firing arrows at the goblins with Aragorn’s long ranged elf bow before they could reach me with their inferior bows. 

Aragorn spies incoming goblins--and cookies!

Reaching the high ground just ahead of the goblins, Aragorn was able to make a stand. I'd hoped to cut down a few of the foul creatures, clearing a path for a run towards the archers that stood between the ranger and a win. Things did not go as intended.

It looks good, but wait a moment.

Aragorn is soon encircled by goblins and his 3 attack dice are now being rolled against the goblins 4 dice.

A good roll buys Aragorn a moment's respite.

Evil wins the Priority roll and Aragorn is soon penned in again. He has suffered a wound or two and things begin looking grim.

"Screw this!" Aragron cries as he makes a break for it.

Long legs outstrip the goblins and the opposite side of the board is only a move or two away.

However, a lost Priority roll and the goblins charge the Ranger, preventing him from moving. Five dice to three dice proves too much for the side of Good and the future of Middle-Earth is changed forever.

As is often the case, a few bad dice throws and some questionable tactics led to one side's downfall. If I played this one again (and I suspect I will), I'd likely try a different tactic: I'd run down one end of the battlefield or the other, putting as much distance between Aragorn and the goblins on one of the side edges of the board. Plunging directly into the middle allowed both flanking groups to reach Aragorn and to pile the attack dice onto him. The bows didn't play a major role in the skirmish, but from what I understand of the SBG that's common. Despite Good's loss, it was a fun battle with good friends. Getting so close to escaping before being cut down wasn't the worst case end scenario for Good as we'll soon see.

End of Round One
Winner: Scott (Goblins)

On to Round Two.